Women, F.A.R.M. and Fun! (2)

Day 2 of the livelihood skills training for Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges (CSPC) instructors was all about Artful Recycling.

Bidibidi lectured on how to make fashion accessories out of discarded buttons and used beads; and how to weave yoyo quilts using recycled fabric.

The ladies immersed themselves in a hands-on training on making button bracelets!

Words of gratitude and pleasure and hope were all over.

"Now, I will have my own button jar at home"

"Our activities are fun-filled, laughter-filled and ideas-filled! We love it!"

"What makes this a special accessory for me, is the memory it will evoke whenever I'd wear it: the fun, the laughter, and the re-kindled friendships."

"There is a special feeling of pride in wearing my own F.A.R.M. bracelet."

"My own button bracelet! Wow! It feels good to create!"

"We feel so good! I never thought I would be wearing a bacelet I made myself! I can't believe it. And a necklace, too!"

"I used to throw all the 'baduy' clothes i have, also those that don't fit me anymore. Now, I have fabrics for my own yoyo quilt."

"In my lifetime, I will make yoyo quilt bed covers for all my six children. They will be heirloom pieces. Even when I am gone, they will know I touched every piece of that and they will remember me."

"I rate the 2-day activity a 10! Perfect! If i can rate it more, I would make it 12!"

Bidibidi says, "There is no more fulfilling deed, than one that makes people enjoy, and one that makes people feel good about themselves. This two-day activity has enriched me more, in terms of joy, of new friendships, and a renewed sense of purpose. F.A.R.M. will live on in the hearts of these rural women."

Women empowerment. This is the part where we feel F.A.R.M. has accomplished its purpose.